Finally online...

I wrote this on September 2, but I haven't had internet access for a while, so I am posting this and then going to update the rest.

8:27 pm September 2, 2009

Sorry it has been so long since I have update this. I have been so busy, and the internet here is very unreliable. Jessica and I left Hoogeveen on Sunday and met up with Krista at the Amsterdam. We spent the day wandering Amsterdam, which is a beautiful city with 3409583 bikes, tiny cars, and interesting people. We bought lunch and ate by one of the canals… and a crazy man almost hit me with his car, and then a swan tried to eat us. Swans… I’m telling you! They are evil!

Pastor Tom Decker, the principal at NUA picked us up at 2:00am from the airport. Arabic sounds like a very angry language, even if the people are having a pleasant conversation. Jessica and I decided that Holland smelled like black licorice and cows, and Egypt smells like… onions and body odor, but not too strongly. I’ve really liked it here so far. We have an apartment attached to the administration building that everyone refers to as “Upper Egypt” because it is in the direction of upper Egypt. Jessica and I share a room, and Krista and an Egyptian girl named Huida (?) share a room. We have a bathroom, where the water floods all over the floor if we don’t turn it off at some point in the middle of our shower, and a kitchen. Everything is much nicer than I expected. We got back at about 3:00-3:30, and the city was really alive. It’s Ramadan now, so the people don’t eat or drink during daylight hours, but we were told that that is how the city always is, which I am guessing is because of the heat. There is no garbage… system (for lack of a better word) in Egypt, so the people just throw their trash on the sidewalk, and it continues to pile up. Pastor Tom said that the guy SMs cleared off the sidewalk in front of the school, which included dead animals, used pads, and dirty diapers. We thanked them.
There are at least four mosques surrounding the school, and they turn their speakers toward the school and play loud moaning music periodically throughout the day. I don’t really mind it because it’s kind of funny. There are seven of us student missionaries here this year, and we have a really great group. There are the three of us girls, and then Chim (pronounced “Cheem”… which I am sure is short for something) who is teaching history, Paul teaches computer classes, Michael teaches P.E. and does maintenance, and Alec is teaching science.

There are about 140 students this year—110 boys and 30 girls. There are sixty more students on the waiting list. This is amazing because a few years ago the school almost shut down because the enrollment got down to about 30. We registered students today, and I did their medical history vision tests—there’s one nursing thing that I get to practice. The Snellen test is required because some students would never tell anyone that they needed glasses. Most of the students have never been to the dentist, and the ones that have went because of a major problem. Their vision was surprisingly good, and I think that that has to do with the fact that they hardly read any books, especially as little kids. The boys in general seemed better educated than the girls. The students are very friendly, and the guys make a little more eye contact than I am used to. Jessica, Krista, and I need to make sure that we are firm in our authority. Jessica told them strongly, “Miss Jessica.” And they responded, “Miss Jessica. Not Mrs. Jessica, right?” When we went into Cairo the other night we weren’t grabbed or anything, but some guys walked too close and grazed our butts as they walked by. Under normal circumstances we would have considered that accidental, and it wasn’t enough to turn around and punch them in the temple, otherwise I definitely would have. Some little kids came up and said, “Hello! Was your name?” So I talked to them for a little bit, and as I walked away they asked for a tip. Haha. People here tip for everything. I need to remember that so that I’m not a jerk.

I just saw a group of new students sitting together quietly. I guess I forgot that this was a real school with real people.

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And I guess I left off there without finishing...